The basic collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art includes a memorial collection dedicated to one of the founders of professional Latvian sculpture, Teodors Zaļkalns (1876-1972). The collection, which contains 3,909 items, came to the museum when the Teodors Zaļkalns Memorial Museum was shut down in 1993.

During his long life, the artist worked in nearly all genres of the art. Of interest are his monumental propaganda artworks, including busts of Nikolai Chernyshevsky, Louis-Auguste Blanqui, Alexander Scriabin and Modest Mussorgsky. The collection includes drafts and sketches of other monumental sculptures. These make clear that Zaļkalns was a talented drawer, and they also offer a look at the theoretical aspects of his work. The collection also includes lots of photographs, documents and the artist’s personal effects.